Thread: D1 Ignition switch

Hi all, my 96 300tdi Ignition, I think, may be on it's way out. It appears to randomly behave as though it has a flat battery. Dual battery system and multimeter showing about 12.5v in each battery. Starter motor only about 2 years old new starter relay. Spyder has been bypassed. I pulled the cover of the steering wheel a couple of weeks ago and tried to check for any play on the connection at the rear of the ignition. Wasn't much, but it did seem to help quite a bit for a week or so. Is this typical symptoms for an ignition on it's death bed?

Thanks,
Tom.

Originally Posted by BathurstTom

Hi all, my 96 300tdi Ignition, I think, may be on it's way out. It appears to randomly behave as though it has a flat battery. Dual battery system and multimeter showing about 12.5v in each battery. Starter motor only about 2 years old new starter relay. Spyder has been bypassed. I pulled the cover of the steering wheel a couple of weeks ago and tried to check for any play on the connection at the rear of the ignition. Wasn't much, but it did seem to help quite a bit for a week or so. Is this typical symptoms for an ignition on it's death bed?

Thanks,
Tom.

The symptom is low voltage to the starter, not something a small relay will cause. Even though the starter may only be 2 years old, it could still be bad contacts in the solenoid. Other than that, a bad earth connection that only shows up occasionally.